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Sam Fender has given the complete sum of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which works to preserve the UK's grassroots live music spots.

The star was presented with the cheque on mid-October as his new release People Watching was chosen as the outstanding release of the past year.

He has chosen to give the cash to the trust, in recognition of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his early career.

"I personally wouldn't be doing this success if it wasn't for all the gigs I did around the North East, and beyond, when I was just getting going," remarked Sam Fender. "These spaces are legendary, but they are struggling."

From early 2023 onward, more than 150 of these venues have ceased operations – about 16% of the whole industry in the UK.

Over the past year, top acts such as Pulp, the group Coldplay, the singer Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the MVT in its initiatives to support the industry, by including a modest fee to their admission fees, which benefits smaller concert halls.

Sam Fender also participated, raising over £100k on his recent tour to support numerous grassroots venues across the UK.

These funds helped locations that were facing possible closure due to challenges stemming from floods, fires and family tragedies, as well as permit problems, legal disputes and sound issues.

Additional spaces were granted financial assistance in modernizing amenities and gear that helped musicians and audiences.

"The concept that money from shows in big venues supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for artists like me, is just sensible," the star has said.

Fender is among several artists to contribute his Mercury Prize funds to charitable organizations.

When Pulp earned the trophy in the year 1996 for their release the album, lead singer Jarvis Cocker stated that the act would give their cash to the organization War Child.

That year, artist the artist split her prize between multiple organizations, including the children's charity and a charity for Sickle Cell.

"And I contributed a thousand pounds to the center, to their gymnastics class, because I practiced gymnastics when I was growing up and they needed new equipment," Ms Dynamite shared with the media.

In recent years, Ezra Collective donated their funds to the youth organization that supported their group, as well as other local music groups.

Additionally 1994 winners they gave their prize to a MS organization after a friend was found to have the disease.

"Winning was sufficient," stated vocalist Heather Small. "The prize was the bonus but we didn't require the bonus, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected somebody else's life."

Last week, the trust revealed it had rescued a couple of grassroots venues in south-east England, by bringing them into local control.

One venue in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol were purchased under the Own Our Venues scheme, which is funded by Arts Council England and supporters who buy "stakes" in the buildings.